What A Movie!!!!!!!
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KlutzyGirl — 15 years ago(September 10, 2010 05:30 PM)
Just a warning that the Netflix streaming version is colorized. Otherwise very enjoyable.
Except for his marvelous performance in "Ride the High Country," McCrae wasn't much of an actor; Banks and the Igor-type are over the top; Wray mostly screams and runs around the jungle in sheer low-cut gowns and high heels; but somehow it all comes together to create a very exciting thriller. I think the dogs had a lot to do with it and can understand the original story's title referring to them. They were scary! -
maksquibs — 15 years ago(October 13, 2010 01:21 PM)
Good grief! Joel McCrea (note spelling) gives classic perfs for Hitchcock (FOREIGN CORRESPONDENT); De Mille (UNION PACIFIC); Preston Sturges (SULLIVAN'S TRAVELS, PALM BEACH STORY); George Stevens (MORE THE MERRIER); William Wyler (THESE THREE); Howard Hawks (COME AND GET IT); John Cromwell (SILVER CORD) and lots more. Geez! You can find some of these on my blog - MAKSQUIBS.blogspot.com - but I'd start with the Sturges and Wyler pics to get some sense of his range.
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dmh7-1 — 18 years ago(July 17, 2007 03:14 AM)
Some of the acting (particularly that of Leslie Banks) is "over the top" - Armstrong's drunk also, but I found it amusing anyway. It is a canard to think that such acting was "general" for its time: mant subtle performers existed even in that age, and Banks' theatrics are sub-par even for that time. There is a difference between good 'expressionist" acting and mere stage buffoonery. All said though, the film is vastly entertaining with not a wasted moment, and some very fine camera work.
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David_Brown — 15 years ago(September 23, 2010 06:38 AM)
There have been many versions of the innocent man vs the killer, with the hero at a disadvantage, surviving because of his will to live. "Westworld" and "Night Of The Running Man" (A superior "B" movie with Andrew McCarthy and Scott Glenn) come to mind. On to this movie: I do not think Banks performance was over the top (Like you see in a bad Lugosi, or Lionel Barrymore performance). This man was a psychotic, who in addition to being crazy, was isolated from the world, so he thought he was some kind of God (Perhaps the only thing decent and normal about him, was his respect for Rainsford). As for Joel McCrea, this is without question one of his best films. Usually I think of McCrea as a lower class version of Gary Cooper or James Stewart, but here you see him at his best, I would rank this film in the top five he ever made. "Sullivan's Travels", "Wells Fargo", "Ride The High Country", and his best "Foreign Correspondent" are the others. The final thing that is awesome is the setting (The same one as King Kong), it really works, the fog, the jungle, and the night (Coupled with the dogs), offers a great atmosphere. Finally onto Fay Wray. She is without question the greatest horror/sci-fi actress in history(Sorry Sigourney Weaver, Jamie Lee Curtis, Barbara Steele Ingrid Pitt, and although I hate to admit it, Milla Jovovich, you don't measure up). Obviously "King Kong" comes to mind. but "Doctor X", "The Vampire Bat", "Mystery Of The Wax Museum" and "The Clairvoyant" (I have yet to see "Black Moon"). But all of those others are classics. The film deserve 10/10 stars, a bona-fide classic.
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mikear70 — 15 years ago(November 04, 2010 04:43 PM)
David-Fay did Below the Sea after Kong. Check that one out whenever you can. I don't think it's horror though. I haven't seen it yet, but want to. I want to see every movie she made, and same with Leslie Banks. The newest one of his I saw was The Chamber Of Horrors. He was great in that one too and the film needs to be restored badly. Sound isn't that good at the start. You can tell the boom was on Tele and you just hear the roar of the film spinning.
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Greenteeth — 13 years ago(May 09, 2012 06:22 PM)
I read this story when I was in grammar school and always enjoyed it. I was happily surprised to see it had been made into a movie. It's too short for my taste and I did get tired of Fay Wray's screaming, but it's hard to beat the atmosphere and there isn't any beating around the bush.
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DS3520 — 11 years ago(November 05, 2014 02:38 PM)
Your review of "The Most Dangerous Game" was right on target! The picture is now over 80 years old, and still unmatched! Just a little over an hour in length, the film holds the viewer's attention from beginning to end..a compelling tale, heart-pounding musical accompaniment from the master, Max Steiner, a truly villainous performance from Leslie Banks, and the attractive young couple, in the person of Joel Mc Crea and Fay Wray, desperately trying to escape his madness! While I certainly take nothing away from the great performance of Banks, I must confess to preferring that of Edgar Barrier in the 1945 re-make, "A Game of Death."